(Think Labyrinth meets Discworld meets D&D with glitter under its nails.)
FAERIEBORN SUBCLASS
Those Who Slipped Between the Rules. Not broken or naΓ―ve. Just tuned to a different set of laws.
ORIGIN
Faerieborn characters are not from another world. They are from this one, but entered it sideways.
They grew up:
β’ half-in stories
β’ half-in sensation
β’ half-in imagination
(yes, that is three halves β welcome to the fae)
They learned early that:
β’ reality is negotiable
β’ rules are suggestions
β’ meaning matters more than structure
CORE TRAIT: GLAMOUR SENSE
Faerieborn perceive the tone of things before the facts.
You notice:
β’ vibes before words
β’ atmosphere before intent
β’ shifts before explanations
Mechanical Effect:
You gain advantage on:
β’ reading rooms
β’ sensing unspoken tension
β’ intuitive choices
β’ pattern recognition
Trade-off:
You are vulnerable to environments that are sterile, rigid, or hostile to imagination.
FAERIE GIFTS (Choose 2 at Creation)
Pocket Anchor – You carry a small object that stabilises you (stone, shell, charm, thread).
Effect:
Once per scene, you may:
β’ regain composure
β’ exit overwhelm
β’ resist psychic or emotional manipulation
This is not a spell. It is muscle memory.
Sideways Step – When confronted directly, you instinctively move around the problem.
Effect:
You can avoid conflict, obligation, or expectation once per encounter by:
β’ changing the framing
β’ introducing humour
β’ shifting the narrative
β’ leaving gracefully
You do not confront head-on unless you choose to.
Mask of Many Selves – You can adapt personas fluidly without losing your core.
Effect:
You gain bonuses when:
β’ code-switching
β’ improvising
β’ entering unfamiliar social terrain
Warning:
Overuse may lead to forgetting what is performance and what is truth.
Wondercraft – You create meaning where others see nothing.
Effect:
You can:
β’ turn mundane tasks into rituals
β’ make beauty from scraps
β’ re-enchant dull environments
This restores morale β yours and othersβ.
THE SHADOW MECHANIC (Fun, Not Clinical)
Faerieborn do not carry βtrauma.β
They carry Curses of Misunderstanding.
Common Faerie Curses:
β’ The Vanishing Voice (βI should not speakβ)
β’ The Borrowed Blame (βThis must be my faultβ)
β’ The False Changelings (βI do not belong anywhereβ)
β’ The Over-Apology (βI must earn my placeβ)
These curses activate under stress.
BREAKING CURSES (NO THERAPY REQUIRED)
Curses are lifted by counterplay, not analysis.
Counterplay Options:
β’ Absurd honesty
β’ Gentle defiance
β’ Leaving the scene
β’ Naming the spell (βAh. This again.β)
β’ Returning to the Pocket Anchor
β’ Laughter at the right moment
Important Rule:
Faerieborn do not defeat curses by proving them wrong. They defeat them by refusing to take them seriously.
FEAR & SHAME (RE-FRAMED)
Fear = The Watchful Hedge
Fear exists to keep you from wandering into danger unprepared.
You do not destroy it.
You ask: βWhat is this hedge trying to protect?β Then you go around it.
Shame = The Borrowed Name
Shame is rarely native.
It was given to you by someone who did not understand you.
Faerie Rule:
You are allowed to return names that were never yours.
FAERIEBORN WEAKNESSES (For Balance & Story)
β’ Difficulty with rigid systems
β’ Exhaustion after prolonged βnormalityβ
β’ Tendency to over-adapt
β’ Difficulty explaining yourself in linear language
These are not flaws. They are terrain mismatches.
LEVEL-UP MOMENT: THE RETURN
At higher levels, Faerieborn unlock:
The Return
Once per arc, you may:
β’ leave a situation that is harming you
β’ abandon a false role
β’ walk away without explanation
Effect:
You do not lose progress. You reclaim it.
ROLEPLAY PROMPTS
β’ What object anchors you?
β’ What curse do you recognise now?
β’ Where do you go when the world is too loud?
β’ What rule have you never agreed to?
DM NOTE
Faerieborn are not comic relief. They are liminal specialists.
They remind the party that:
β’ not all problems are meant to be solved
β’ not all doors are meant to be opened
β’ and some truths arrive disguised as nonsense
